HOME FIRES BURNING

I grew up in Hampshire, where meal times were always a family matter. I am the youngest of three children. My parents made supper time an essential and social evening routine, when every member of the family would come together to talk about their day over a traditional English meal such as a roast dinner, fish pie or chili con carne. At the time, it felt like neither my parents nor anybody else were especially ‘health conscious’ — unlike today, when it seems to be at the front of everybody’s minds.

During world war II, the rationing of fat and sugary foods